Birds of Prey
by That Crazy Guy
Summary: In the aftermath of the explosion resulting in the breach, former Templar Cullen can't help but reflect on his life and how everything he believe came crashing down as the world fell apart as he and a new band of misfits and madmen try to plot a course for the future.


**Birds of Prey**

As the sun set in the western skies, darkness began to fill the room. The lighting in the room quickly changed to reflect the mood, dark. It was a fairly large stone room with little in the way of décor save for a long thin table and a few chairs, otherwise it could not have held so many people. If something didn't happen soon, the stones were likely to soaked in blood soon.

In one corner stood an armored clad man with adored with a red tabard and shoulder linings which framed his head like a lion's. His short blonde hair, focused green eyes, and stern expression marked him as a soldier even more than his attire. One look at his face and people could tell that he had born witness to true horrors even by the standards of recent times.

"Lovely party we've got brewing here, eh Cullen?" a beardless dwarf with a scar crossing the top of his nose and a deep scar across the top of his nose and a large custom made repeating cross bow he had dubbed 'Bianca' asked, his tone was as sarcastic as it was grim.

"It's all fallen apart Varric" Cullen answered softly.

"Would you all calm down" a dark skinned woman dressed in unusual clothes holding an ornate staff said with a stern orlesian accent "the first order of business must be figuring out how to end the rebellion as soon as possible" her name was Vivienne, a powerful Mage of Orlais with incredible power.

"That's all well and good but this is not the time to be thinking of your personal ambitions" the voice of what appeared to be a gaunt young man with long straw colored hair which covered his eyes replied, to be honest Cullen was disturbed with how Cole seemed to not just disappear and reappear in a room, but his very mind as well.

"But at the same time we cannot abandon the people as the Mages and Templars tear up the country side" a dashing young man from the Tevinter Imperium with a distinct mustache, unusual clothing, and a staff marking as a Mage; growing up, Cullen had heard all matter of tales about the depravity of Tevinter Mages, he had to admit that Dorian was **not** what he was expecting.

"You know you all could have avoided this whole problem if you had just sewed your Mages' mouths shut, cut out their tongues, and put a nice heavy color on `em like we do back in Par Vollen" the Iron Bull, a massive Qunari mercenary with an eye patch chuckled as he downed a large stein of ale in a single gulp "but then again I wouldn't get a chance to bash demons around for coin if you did" he chuckled.

"You know it's a pity" Varric whispered in clear disdain to Cullen "if this room weren't so full, it would be easy for Bianca to give him a little kiss between the eyes from this distance."

For a moment Cullen suspected that would not be necessary. No sooner had he finished his comment had both Vivienne and Dorian were glowing and shouting angrily at the Iron Bull, both clearly wanting to literally blow him to bits. The Iron Bull looked eager to fight both Mages, his lust for battle was easy to spot in his single eye.

"This war is inconsequential" a bald elven Mage named Solas stated bluntly "the breach grows larger by the hour, as it grows more and more demons are coming through to this world, soon there will be no stopping it" his voice echoed no emotion.

"While it is true I am more familiar with Darkspawn than demons" a black haired human named Blackwall said stoically "I and the other Grey Wardens have not seen numbers like these since the fourth blight centuries ago and it is getting worse, I believe Solas is right that all other concerns are secondary."

Blackwall and Solas' comments only spurred both Vivienne and Dorian to argue further with them as well as with the Iron Bull who was still obviously looking for a brawl.

"Now is not the time to be arguing" a woman with a scar on her lower left cheek and short black hair said sternly "the divine has given us a mission and if we fail, there will be nothing but chaos and death" she looked upon the gathered soldiers "that means all of you need to fall…in…line!"

Cassandra was a woman of many talents, but people skills were **not** among them. Half a second after she finished talking everyone seemed to be glaring daggers at her. Half a second after that a small but angry voice said "you only care about your damn Chantry's power!"

All heads turned to a short elven woman with short unevenly cut hair and a bow hanging from her back named Sera. In the short time Cullen had known her, Sera had proven herself to be a force of nature in that wherever she went, chaos seemed to erupt out of nowhere, she was truly as wild and unpredictable as the wind.

"All any of you care about are your own selfish ambitions" Sera said with a venomous tone of voice "none of you give a damn about the innocent people who will die in the process!"

No sooner had the elf finished talking had the entire room once again erupted into chaos. Each belligerent quickly turning from one another, voices quickly raised into shouts, threatening gestures were made. The ever diplomatic Josephine tried in vain to get everyone to calm down as the hostilities only seemed to increase by the moment. In the far corner Cullen spied the cloaked form of Leliana watching silently as if trying to decide just who would need a knife in their throats.

"And I thought things could get crazy back at the Hanged Man" Varric said sarcastically.

"It's all fallen apart" Cullen repeated, as he watched the ever escalating verbal conflict, the former templar couldn't help but think back on the past ten years, even now he couldn't believe that his whole world had fallen apart so utterly in such a short period of time.

*Year 30 of the Dragon Age: Ferelden Circle*

Shortly before the blight Cullen was a simple templar watching over the Ferelden Circle of Magi. The day before one of their best and brightest apprentices had successfully completed his Harrowing, something which made the young Cullen happy for he wouldn't have wanted to execute the man.

"Ah good to see you" Cullen greeted the newly recognized Mage who was leaning casually against the wall in one of the tower's many halls "my name is Ser Cullen, I wanted to congratulate you on passing your Harrowing."

The Mage was a young human man with light brown hair and dark blue eyes which held a powerful gaze that caused the young templar to nearly stumble.

"The name's Amell, pleased to meet you" the Mage replied though his measured voice made it clear he did **not** trust the Templar any further than he could throw him "is there something I can do for you?"

"No, I just…" Cullen replied awkwardly "…I just like to get to know everyone around here, we'll be seeing each other a lot from now on so I figure…"

"There's not much to say about me that you haven't heard a hundred times I'm sure" Amell replied coldly "I was **brought in** to this circle at a young age, I grew up here, and the Mages of this tower are the closest thing I have to family now" Amell's voice softened ever so softly as he spoke of his fellow Mages "though I have some memories of my life before the Circle if you're interested."

"Sure" Cullen replied wanting to be friendly but a dark smile on Amell's face told him he would be sorry for that.

"My memories are lacking in detail but here's what I remember" Amell began "I believe I was born into a wealthy family because I remember spending my days in a large garden with my mother, then one day when I was three or four years old something amazing happened…" Amell extended his right hand and generated a small glowing ball of pure magic which softly illuminated both the Templar and the Mage.

"_To have discovered his magic at such a young age"_ Cullen thought in amazement.

"…so naturally I went up to my mother and anyone else I could get to pay me any attention going 'looky, looky, look what I can do'" Amell continued using a high pitched little boy's voice for the last part "I'll give you three guesses what happened before the day was through."

Cullen gulped nervously but found himself unable to move away or even say anything.

"You want to know what the worst part of it all is?" Amell asked darkly, his gaze seemed to pierce Cullen's very soul "I can't even remember what she looked like, I can't recall the color of her eyes or hair, I can't even remember what it felt like when she held me in her arms, but you know what I **do **remember?"

"W…What?" Cullen asked nervously.

"The sound…the sound of her cry as she **begged** the templars not to take me away, apparently I was not the first of her children this had happened to" Amell answered as tears of both sadness and rage formed in his eyes "that and the sight of her tears when the Templars dragged me away are my only memories of her."

"I'm…I'm sorry" Cullen apologized weakly not knowing what else to say.

"And now here I am, caged in this circle like the rest of my Mage brethren" Amell chuckled as he wiped the tears from his eyes "viewed as little more than an animal, a weapon to be used should the Chantry decide they want to wage one of their little wars, any children I have will be taken from me and their mother at birth, and if I ever try to flee or if the Chantry decides I'm too much trouble then I will be labeled an 'apostate' and Templars like you will be sent to hunt me down."

"Come on it's not so bad" Cullen tried to sound convincing but he had trouble believing it himself "the Chantry and the Maker have a place for everyone…you…just need faith."

"You want to know something funny Ser Cullen?" Amell asked in an amused tone of voice "those phylacteries that are made created every time a new Mage is brought to the circles, the process of creating them is by definition **blood magic**, I find it amusing how easily the Chantry ignores its own laws and teachings when they find it convenient."

Cullen wasn't sure which he found more frightening about Amell, the prodigious magical powers he had demonstrated over the years or the powerful presence he seemed to emanate from his piercing blue eyes. The young, idealistic Templar couldn't help but feel sorry for him, if he hadn't been born a Mage then none of the tragedy would have befallen him and he most likely would not have grown up to become so bitter and angry.

"If you'll excuse me I have an appointment, I enjoyed talking with you" Amell said his voice shifting to a much more polite tone which shocked Cullen "good day Ser Cullen."

The young Cullen said nothing as Amell walked away leaving him in his muddled thoughts.

In the hours following their conversation word reached Cullen that Amell was no longer part of the Circle. Apparently he and a Chantry initiate named Lily had helped an apprentice named Jowan destroy his phylactery and were planning for the latter two to flee to start a life somewhere. However they were confronted upon leaving the vault by First Enchanter Irving, Knight Commander Greagoir, and a small team of Templars.

When the templars moved to apprehend Lily, Jowan pulled a dagger and stabbed his hand unleashing a powerful blast of blood magic which killed the Templars and left the Knight Commander and First Enchanter on the ground. Lily then rejected Jowan forcing the young mage to flee leaving them both heartbroken.

When the Knight Commander and First Enchanter rose to their feet, Amell stood between them and Lily until she insisted that he stand aside out of guilt for Jowan's blood magic. Amell however was much less compliant when the older men turned their gazes towards him. Apparently Amell suspected his only choices were death or tranquility, the latter is widely regarded as a fate worse than death by many Mages.

Cullen suspected that Amell was definitely that kind of Mage. From what he heard, Amell mocked both Greagoir and Irving saying that he didn't care that Jowan was a blood mage. He called Irving a lap dog to the Chantry and Greagoir its worthless thug. Though he had only spoken to the man once, Cullen strongly suspected that in Amell's mind that by choosing death over tranquility and by remaining defiant to the end, he was at last in some sense free.

This was not to be the end however, before either of the elder men could take action against Amell, the visiting Grey Warden Duncan appeared and chose to conscript Amell much to the Knight Commander's displeasure. Amell made sure to mock the older men as he followed Duncan to the fateful battle of Ostagar. Miraculously Amell survived the battle in spite of Teyrn Loghain's betrayal and to the surprise of all, he would return to the tower once more seeking allies against the Darkspawn in the hopes of ending the Fifth Blight.

Before Amell's return however everything fell apart and Cullen's idealism was among the casualties. One of the circle's enchanters, Uldred conspired with Teyrn Loghain to bring the Mages under his thumb. When confronted with his treachery the Circle was quickly infested with demons and abominations. Cullen was helpless as he watched in horror as Mage and Templar alike were torn to shreds and in many cases eaten alive right in front of him. He was imprisoned and forced to watch as his Templar brothers were slowly tortured to death physically while they attacked his very mind with countless horrific visions.

It didn't take long for Cullen's outlook to change as a result. Where he first felt sympathy for Mages and sadness over Amell's sad story he now felt nothing but fear. He realized the hard truth as to why the Templar Order was needed, he saw the horrible danger that Mages posed to others and why they had to be locked away to ensure their Magic couldn't harm anyone else.

After what seemed like an eternity Amell appeared before him once again. At first Cullen was certain that he was simply another illusion meant to torture his mind but he wasn't. Upon realizing this Cullen begged Amell to kill all the Mages in the Harrowing chamber but he refused. Apparently despite all his rage and bitterness, Amell still thought of the Mages as his family and he saved every single Mage he could and only killed Uldred and his abominations.

With the return of First Enchanter Irving, Knight Commander Greagoir revoked the right of annulment. It was something Cullen knew could not be allowed to stand. In spite of his pleas, Ser Greagoir refused to change his mind arguing that Cullen had been through too much and needed time to clear his mind. Undeterred Cullen took a step towards the Mages intending to eliminate the threat himself if need be, however Amell stood between him and the frightened Mages.

"Move aside Amell" Cullen demanded as he drew his sword "we cannot let your sympathy endanger everyone!"

"Cullen, listen to me as carefully as you can because I am only going to say this once" Amell replied with barely contained fury as his blue eyes shot Cullen a piercing glare "I am warning you that if you so much as bruise a single Mage I will show you pain" despite the fact he was not wielding his staff or even utilizing his magic Cullen found his sword arm shaking in fear "the contents of your soul will cease to matter, you will not be judged after I kill you, I will erase you from existence!"

Two of the children were standing behind Amell and holding onto him for protection. Even the Templars who stood down and even Greagoir himself seemed to feel an unmistakable sense of fear from the Mage's presence. Cullen himself just about jumped out of his skin when his sword fell to the ground without him even realizing his grip had slipped or that he had backed himself all the way to the wall. It was all just too much and Cullen practically collapsed crying over what he had been through and the sheer fear he had just experienced.

Amell went on to be hailed as hero throughout the land. Along the way he accumulated a following of truly…unique…companions as he struggled against all odds against the Blight and Teyrn Loghain. Cullen heard stories that he entered a relationship with a dark haired witch of the wilds who taught him how to assume the forms of animals among Maker only knows what else. At the dawn of the new year, Amell secured his place as a legend among the people by killing the Archdemon and ending the fifth blight.

After the blight Amell helped reestablish the Grey Wardens in Ferelden and helped save the city of Amaranthine from destruction. Amell however vanished almost a year after the end of the blight without a trace, some say he left with his apostate lover for parts unknown. Whatever the case, his legend certainly would continue.

As for Cullen he still could not understand why Amell was able to scare him so utterly even after he calmed down but he knew one thing. The Templar Order cause was just and true, mages were dangerous and prone to corruption, and it was the duty of the Templars to protect not just the people from the mages, but the Mages from themselves. He knew the Templars were honorable and just…or at least he thought he did.

*Year 31 of the Dragon Age: Just Outside Kirkwall*

After Uldred's attack on the Ferelden Circle, Knight Commander Greagoir reassigned Cullen in the hope that he might "level out" as it were. Eventually he was assigned to Kirkwall as Knight-Captain under Knight-Commander Meredith. When first laid eyes on the conditions of the Kirkwall Circle and Meredith's policies, Cullen found himself confident that he had been granted a model assignment. However, some small part of him began to question this belief the day he met another Mage who he would later learn was second cousin to Amell, Hawke.

The day Cullen met Hawke he was investigating numerous disappearances amongst the Templar recruits. One of these recruits, Wilmod had actually reemerged but had been acting strangely. Desiring to uncover the truth, Cullen took Wilmod to the hills outside the city to interrogate him, harshly.

"Andraste be my witness Wilmod I will have the truth from you now!" Cullen demanded as he grabbed the recruits arms and got into the boy's face.

"Mercy Ser, mercy" the boy begged.

"Were it that easy" Cullen hissed.

"Don't hit me" Wilmod practically cried prompting Cullen to knee him in the stomach.

Cullen drew his sword and growled "I will know where you are going and I will know now!"

"And I thought Templars only treated Mages this badly, nice to see you're branching out" a sarcastic voice called out drawing the Templar's attention.

The man was dressed in simple but practical clothing. He had black hair, sharp features, and a slight tan from working the sun. Appearance wise there was almost no resemblance at all to Amell, save for his dark blue eyes. And like Amell before him, Hawke seemed to not just be looking at Cullen, but right through him. He'd be reluctant to admit it, but that look caused a small turn in the Templar's stomach.

"This is Templar business stranger" Cullen warned as he turned his attention back to Wilmod who began laughing manically.

"You have struck me for the last time pathetic human" Wilmod chuckled before much to Cullen's horror he changed into an abomination and was flanked by a pair of demons.

With the help of Hawke and his companions, Cullen was able to quickly defeat the demons and abominations. The sheer shock of seeing a Templar change into an abomination caused him to forget to ensure that Hawke was a Circle Mage after their victory. Looking back Cullen realized that if the apostate had wished it, he could have easily killed him then and there.

After the battle, Hawke had offered to help investigate what happened to the missing recruits despite some clear differences of opinion regarding Mages. Normally Cullen would have hesitated to accept the help of a Mage, particularly such a strange one as Hawke. But his investigation had hit a wall and he was worried for one of their best recruits, Keran.

Amazingly, Hawke had succeeded and Keran returned much to his sister's delight. Even after all he had seen, Cullen couldn't help but be happy as he witnessed the siblings reunite. Cullen steeled himself momentarily as Hawke approached flanked by his younger brother, an elven woman with strange markings on her face, and a blonde man who looked at Cullen and all Templars with clear disdain.

"I've got some good news and some bad news" Hawke said calmly as he approached Cullen.

"What, what is it?" Cullen asked clearly concerned.

"Good news is that Keran is safe" Hawke said referencing the young recruit "bad news is half of your recruits may have been possessed by demons."

"Sweet blood of Andraste" Cullen swore softly as several nightmarish scenarios flashed through his mind.

"Demons, did you say something about the recruits and demons?" Keran's sister Macha asked nervously.

"I didn't want to tell you Macha" Keran explained gently "they, they were horrible" he turned his gaze towards Hawke "those Mages see the rest of us as nothing but ants to be crushed, they won't stop until they've destroyed the Chantry and the Templars forever."

Cullen noticed that Hawke's brother seemed to nod his head whereas the elf and the blonde were disgusted by what they were hearing.

"Mages have been systematically abused by the Templars for a thousand years" Hawke stated politely but firmly, once again Cullen saw a hint of Amell's ferocity in Hawke's eyes.

"How can you say that, after what you've seen?" Cullen asked as he couldn't help but hear some part of himself from a couple years earlier in the dark haired man's words "Mages can not be treated like people, they're not like you and me."

"Surely that's a little harsh" Macha offered naively.

"They are weapons, they have the power to light a city on fire in a fit of pique!" Cullen repeated the truths that Uldred and his allies had taught him all too well during the Blight.

"Mages are humans and elves, just like the rest of us" Hawke stated earning a frown from his brother but a soft smile from the elf and the blonde man, Cullen was certain Hawke was at that moment sizing the Knight-Captain up.

"Many might go their whole lives believing that" Cullen replied firmly but detected clear disapproval in Hawke's eyes "but if even one in ten falls to the allure of blood magic, they could destroy this world" he turned towards the young recruit "for now Keran, unless it is proven that you are free of demons, I must strip you of your commission immediately."

"No please, you can't really think that, Keran's fine, he's safe" Macha pleaded.

"Please Ser, I tried to resist, I never took anything they offered" Keran begged "I..I need this position or my sister can't eat…I've been training for five years."

Cullen turned towards Hawke with a curious glance and sure enough he explained "we conducted some tests on Keran, he's not possessed, he can stay in the order."

"I hesitate to ask what methods you used, that you are so certain" Cullen replied as he focused on Hawke and saw the elven woman smile softly.

Cullen locked gazes with Hawke as the former decided it would be prudent to take special note of this Mage. Most Mages Cullen had met, especially after coming to Kirkwall had only fear and contempt in their eyes whenever they looked upon the Knight-Captain, Hawke had neither as he looked more like he was curious as to how far Cullen was going to press his line of questioning.

Ultimately Cullen decided to leave that matter for another day and let Keran remain a recruit so his sister wouldn't starve and they could keep an eye on him. Hawke and his party left Cullen having done his order a great service.

"_Mages are humans and elves, just like the rest of us"_

Hawke's words echoed in Cullen's mind later that evening as he finished his report causing him to chuckle at himself for his own naiveté. Surprisingly Hawke returned to the gallows the next morning, from his demeanor Cullen could tell that he was not looking for a fight, but he was curious.

The Mage and the Templar ended up discussing Ferelden, Cullen's experiences during Uldred's rebellion, Knight-Commander Meredith, and the plight of the Templar order as more and more Mages continued to be born into Thedas every year.

"You have to admit, the Templars have brought some of this hatred on themselves" Hawke stated.

"That is the popular school of thought, no?" Cullen chuckled.

"It's the truth" the blonde man from the prior day opined.

"It used to be the Templars were welcome wherever they went, defending people from dark magics" Cullen sighed at how the people had forgotten the horrors of Mages "now the townsfolk are as likely to slam their doors as offer us a bed" Cullen's eyes fell on the frightening Tevinter statues "the image of the poor chained apprentice is a powerful one, and one the Mages are more than willing to exploit."

Once again Hawke shook his head in clear disappointment at Cullen as he left flanked by his companions.

Like Amell before him, Hawke formed a team of the biggest misfits and lunatics the city had ever seen, and in Kirkwall that _**really**_ meant something. A couple years later Cullen started hearing stories about Hawke and a certain elven woman, the former seemed quite amused by the scandal it created. He also gained a reputation for not only solving difficult problems with a bizarre wit and wide smile which threw countless fools off balance only for Hawke to utterly decimate them in more ways than one. Within days half the city wanted him dead while the other half was singing songs and cackling madly at his antics.

It didn't take Cullen long to figure out that the man he had met was in fact an apostate. But by then Hawke had already joined an expedition into the Deep Roads along with his brother and numerous others. Unfortunately, Hawke's brother had come down with Darkspawn taint and had to be recruited by the Grey Wardens, apparently they possessed some sort of cure.

As for Hawke himself he came out of the expedition a rich man. By the time Cullen had caught wind of the Mage's return, he had already purchased old Amell mansion and had ingrained himself with nobility to such an extent that the Templars could not take him in without drawing the ire of the Vicount, apparently the apostate was just too viable an asset for the aging leader.

None of that would stop Cullen of course, it would merely be a delay. Cullen knew it would only take time. He could not have been more wrong.

For years a delegation of Qunari had been present at the docks, this lead to very serious tensions within the city. Hawke did what he could to try and quell the tensions but eventually it all came crashing down.

It was funny really, so great a threat were the Qunari that Mage and Templar actually fought together, not out of any love for one another obviously, but sheer hatred for Qunari. Hawke and his team cut their way for a large number of Qunari and eventually joined forces with Knight-Commander Meredith and First Enchanter Orsino. The latter two quickly came at odds over who was to lead their assault on the Vicount's keep, with a firm voice Hawke took command himself and hatched a plan where he would sneak in while Orsino provided a distraction. A distraction the Mage was well qualified to provide.

What followed next was a scene of both horror and triumph for the people of Kirkwall. The Qunari Arishock killed the Vicount and threw his head amongst the gathered nobles and proceeded to lecture them, only stopping when Hawke appeared intent on bringing the madness to an end.

Ultimately the thief who had stolen their sacred tome which was their whole reason for being Kirkwall returned the relic to the Qunari. However that was not enough, they also wanted to take the thief, fortunately for the woman Hawke would not abandon her. This lead to Hawke and the Arishock fighting to the death in single combat, in the end the city had a new Champion and from Hightown to the Gallows songs of praise were sung…for a Mage.

For the briefest time, Cullen hoped everything would regain some sense of normalcy. In the years that followed Knight-Commander Meredith effectively took control of the city to keep order. As time went on her methods for controlling the Circle grew harsher, in response the mages and First Enchanter Orsino in particular became more bitter and defiant, Hawke did everything he could to keep them from starting a civil war but ultimately tensions continued to rise.

As the harshness of Meredith's actions increased, Cullen found himself becoming more and more disturbed though he continued to defend her and would not gainsay his commander, he would come to regret that choice. It was not just the Mages who grew more resentful of Meredith and by extent the Templars, ordinary citizens began joining demonstrations in the streets and actively helping Mages flee the Circle; more than one Templar turned a wrong corner only to be killed by something other than an apostate's spell.

Eventually it got to the point where one of their own, Ser Thrask started plotting to overthrow Meredith. He began speaking to anyone who would listen that Meredith was mad and her methods not only went too far but actually created more rogue Mages than they prevented. He slowly began to build up his forces, one Mage and one Templar at a time even recruiting Keran to his cause. Ultimately his coup never came to fruition as he was killed by an enraged Blood Mage and Keran later left the order. Looking back Cullen couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he should have aided the elder Templar, perhaps he could have stopped everything that followed.

Ultimately tensions between the Mages and Templars reached the point that the whole city of Kirkwall was like a barrel of the mysterious black powder the Qunari value so highly. A single spark risked setting the whole off, what came was less of a spark and more of a roaring fireball.

"Maker have mercy…" Cullen uttered in sheer horror as he looked to the night sky to see a bright light engulfing the Chantry in the distance before it was all blown away in a flash of light _"…the Grand Cleric was in there!"_

"Ser…Ser Cullen" Ser Paxley, one of Ser Kerans old friends said in disbelief.

"We need to find the Knight-Commander and find who is attacking us" Cullen commanded to his men causing them to quickly get into formation, they made their way to low town but froze almost immediately _"What in the Maker's name…"_

The Templars were greeted with a sight of pure chaos. Buildings were on fire, Mages and Templars were killing not just each other but even civilians in the streets. Demons and abominations seemed to be everywhere.

"Ser Cullen" the Meredith called out in a harsh and angry tone of voice.

"What is going on?!" Cullen asked in horror as he signaled his men to lend their aid trusting that there had to be some good explanation for what was happening, he would be disappointed.

"The Grand Cleric has been killed by the Champion's apostate companion" Meredith stated furiously.

"_The blonde one?"_ Cullen thought before asking "then why are we fighting the Mages?!"

"Don't be an idiot boy!" Meredith barked "I had no choice but to invoke the right of annulment, every Mage in Kirkwall must be executed immediately!"

"_The right of annulment?! But if it was a single apostate…"_ Cullen thought but he was interrupted.

"As soon as you secure this district, make your way to the Gallows" Meredith ordered "I'm going to rouse the rest of the order, and Ser Cullen…"

"Yes" Cullen replied not knowing anything else to say.

"The Champion has thrown in his lot with Orsino and the Circle" Meredith stated coldly "he is to be killed on sight!"

Meredith left Cullen in stunned silence. Eventually Cullen recovered his wits and lead his men to victory eventually securing Low Town. At the steps leading up to High Town they found the body of the blonde apostate who had traveled with Hawke, a bloody knife was buried in his back.

"Ser Cullen" one of the Templars called bringing Cullen's attention back to Thedas as he saw three mages brought to him who immediately fell on their knees.

"Please Ser have mercy" one of the mages begged fear was evident in his voice.

"The apostate who traveled with the Champion, the one who blew up the Chantry" Cullen demanded angrilily as he pointed to Anders' still body "what happened to him?"

"Serah Hawke killed him Ser" the second Mage replied nervously "he said that he had to pay for killing the Grand Cleric and everyone else."

Cullen couldn't believe his ears, so great was his shock he barely heard the last Mage "please Ser, we weren't involved we swear to the Maker."

"For the time being we'll take them into protective custody" Cullen commanded earning him looks of pure gratitude from the Mages "the rest of you prepare to head to the Gallows."

Most of his Templars did as Cullen commanded but another one of Ser Keran's friends, Ser Hugh approached him with an expression of pure shock and horror and asked "Ser Cullen, what have we done?"

"We have work to do" Cullen responded directing the younger man.

The truth was that Cullen had no answer, especially as they made their way through the burning corpse littered streets. Cullen's heart sank as he glanced at the numerous corpses and couldn't help but noticed that more than one or two civilians had been stabbed, bludgeoned, or their throats slit. The bloody boot prints only confirmed what Cullen already knew, many of them had not been killed by Mages.

Eventually Cullen and his men made their way to the Gallows and regrouped with Meredith. Apparently the Mages put up an effective resistance and killed many Templars thanks to the aid of the Champion and many Mages had already managed to flee the city. The city guard refused to aid the Templars focusing their efforts on shielding civilians so they would be on their own, apparently more than one expressed the desire to run the Templars through. As they approached the hall they were greeted by the site of Hawke who was flanked seven intimidating companions including the exiled Prince of Starkhaven.

"And here we are at last Champion" Meredith said, the blood lust evident in her voice.

"You'll pay for what you've done here!" Hawke replied in a soft yet clearly furious voice, Cullen gulped slightly as his eyes now looked _**exactly**_ like Amell's had years before.

"I will be rewarded for what I've done here, in this world and the next" Meredith declared confidently though it was clear that Hawke was not buying it in the least "I have done nothing but perform my duty, what happens to you here is your own doing" she shook her hand horizontally "you were never part of this Circle and I tolerated that, but in defending them you've chosen to share their fate."

"Knight Commander I thought we intended to _**arrest**_ the Champion" Cullen stated unable to let the madness go any further than it already had.

"You will do as I command Cullen" Meredith retorted.

"No" Cullen replied amazed at his own defiance "I defended you when Thrask started whispering that you were mad, but this is too far."

"I WILL NOT ALLOW INSUBORDINATION, WE MUST STAY TRUE TO OUR PATH" Meredith shouted drawing her great sword which immediately emitted a dark red glow which caused everyone to take several steps back "you recognize it do you not?" she asked turning to Hawke "pure Lyrium, taken from the deep roads, the Dwarf charged a great deal for his prize" the glow seemed to highlight her madness.

"The idol poisoned Bartrand's mind in the end" Hawke sighed sadly as if everything that had transpired suddenly made perfect sense to the man.

"He was weak, whereas I am not!" Meredith stated "all of you I want him dead!" she pointed her weapon at Hawke who didn't even flinch.

"Enough this is not what the order stands for, Knight Commander step down" Cullen commanded "I relieve you of your command!"

"My own Knight Captain fall prey to influence of blood magic" Meredith said in sheer shock and insanity "you all have, you're all weak allowing the Mages to control your minds, to turn you against me!" she began waving her sword around terrifying her fellow Templars "but I don't need any of you, I will protect this city myself!" she turned he blade back on Hawke who still seemed to show no fear of the madwoman.

"You'll have to go through me" Cullen said in sheer disbelief of his own words as the other Templars got as far away as they could.

"Idiot boy, just like all the others!" Meredith hissed.

"_Perhaps that's all I've ever been"_ Cullen thought as Hawke turned his gaze towards him momentarily to confirm they were on the same side, for the time being at least.

"Blessed our those who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and DO…NOT…FALTER!" Meredith recited part of the chant of light which caused Cullen's heart to sink slightly.

Hawke pulled out his staff and prepared to engage the insane woman as he softly muttered "my magic will serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base!" apparently Cullen was the only one who heard him utter those words that night.

In spite of everything that had happened so far and all the insanity of that fight. Even as Meredith suddenly started bringing statues to life to aid her in her fight, Cullen couldn't help but feel…right as he fought alongside Hawke and his allies. As the fight dragged on they were unexpectedly joined by Ser Donnic, husband of the Captain of Kirkwall's City Guard. He was quickly followed by an elf with an incredible with daggers and a dark haired Grey Warden with remarkable skills with a bow.

Together, the twelve of them fought like the Void against Meredith and her monstrosities. The strangest part of it all was that Cullen did not feel afraid, even as his former superior grew more and more unstable and her ramblings grew even crazier.

"Why would you defend these mages?!" Meredith demanded as she slammed Cullen to the ground "they are an infection upon all humanity!"

Cullen thought his end had come but Hawke appeared between them and swung his staff horizontally created a cone of icy stalagmites which dug into Meredith's body and forced her back. With great skill and ruthlessness Hawke followed up his attack with a spell which literally created a stone fist which flew forward and struck the blonde woman in the face forcing her back even further. As Cullen got to his feet he saw Hawke leap into the air with blade towards the end of his staff approaching his target, the electric energy which its wielder had focused into it seemed to light up the entire courtyard.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Cullen couldn't help but note how much Hawke resembled his namesake at that moment. Unfortunately for the Knight Commander she resembled prey. She raised her sword and managed to avoid taking a direct hit from the blade only for a surge of pure magical power to course through her body. Cullen had trouble believing that even the mightiest Templar could survive such an attack.

"I WILL…NOT BE DEFEATED!" Meredith shouted as she began to back away from Hawke who continued towards her "MAKER AID YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT!"

At that moment the sword exploded and Meredith screamed as her whole body seemed to wither turning her into a glowing red husk to the horror of everyone present. A female Templar rushed forward to examine what remained of Meredith but it was clear to all that she was dead. The rest of the Templars surrounded Hawke and his companions as Cullen looked at them weakly.

To his astonishment none of them seemed afraid despite how badly outnumbered the eleven of them were. Their eyes were defiant, as if they were all at peace with themselves, it was clear they were all prepared to die at that moment.

The most striking however was their leader, Hawke met Cullen's gaze directly. Once again his eyes mirrored Amell's and they clearly asked Cullen to make his next move. At the same time they clearly told Cullen that if he chose to fight, he and his Templars would not live to see the next day even if they had them badly outnumbered.

Too exhausted both physically and emotionally, Cullen stepped back and was followed by the rest of the Templars. Many of them fell on their asses or dropped their swords apparently sensing just what would happen if they tried to fight Hawke and his people as they turned and left the city.

"Ser…Ser…Cullen…" the female Templar said weakly as she moved away from Meredith and removed her helmet revealing the face of another one of Keran's friends, Ser Ruvena "…what…what in the name of Andraste…have we done?!" a single tear crept down the right side of her face.

Cullen's sword fell to the ground with a loud clang, he had no answer for the young woman's question.

*Year 40 of the Dragon Age: Kirkwall*

Hawke had not been seen since the night that the Chantry was destroyed. Shortly after the fight more Templars arrived and under Cullen's command they managed to restore some semblance of order, however that was to be short lived.

The city was a warzone, its people were divided but most seemed to blame the Templars for the madness just as much, if not more than even the apostate Anders. They were enraged to learn that the Templars had chosen to annul the Circle when they weren't even involved in the Chantry's destruction starting a massacre. The fact that Hawke had killed the apostate who _**was**_ behind it despite him being a close friend only furthered their new found hatred for the order.

Cullen quickly found that he and his Templars now effectively had zero support from the populace, but that was only the beginning of the problems not only for Cullen, but for all of Thedas. Word of the slaughter spread quickly, and one by one the Circles dissolved into open rebellion against the Chantry, and Hawke's name became a war-cry, a reminder that the Templars were far from invincible. Like Amell before him, Hawke had become a legend.

The Divine tried to broker a peace with the Mages in the years following Meredith's death. Unfortunately, most of the Templars and Seekers left the Chantry as well determined to fight the Mages. To make matters worse, tensions in Orlais grew worse dragging the country towards civil war. In a few short years the world was at war.

Cullen's task of maintaining order in Kirkwall was made all the more impossible by the fact that many Templars left. Many left out of disgust that the Divine would even entertain the notion of treating with Mages, while some left out of horror over what they had seen and many cases done that night. Many of the latter group were so consumed by guilt, that they took their own lives including Sers Ruvena, Hugh, and Paxley. The sight of their dangling bodies after they had hung themselves still haunted Cullen's dreams.

"_Perhaps I should consider joining them…"_ Cullen thought solemnly as he made his way into the most secure part of the Gallows which had remained unchanged since the days that Tevinter controlled the city, the prison cells.

"Ser Cullen, it's good to see you" one of the former Circle Mages greeted from behind the bars "have you heard any news of our friends?"

"No" Cullen said weakly as he looked upon the three Mages who surrendered that night "listen carefully" he pulled out the key and proceeded to unlock the door "tensions are rising again in the city, you won't be safe here anymore" he quickly undid the bindings which suppressed their magic "you need to get out of Kirkwall."

"But Ser…" one of the Mages tried to protest but was cut off.

"I said Go" Cullen barked prompting the Mages to turn and run as fast as they could.

Cullen let out a long sigh before leaning his back against a stone wall and pulling a sharp dagger he kept at the ready since his initiation day. He stared longingly at the blade as he contemplated burying it in his own throat.

"I must admit I was not expecting that Ser Cullen" a female voice called shocking Cullen back to reality.

"Who are you?!" Cullen asked as he turned to a woman with stern features, short black hair, and matching armor "what does a Seeker want with me?!"

"Calm yourself, my name is Cassandra Pentaghast" the woman replied sternly as she was clearly sizing the man up.

"And what does the 'Right Hand of the Divine' want with me?!" Cullen replied.

"I heard about you from a certain Dwarf who never shuts up" Cassandra explained "I was hoping that maybe you had some idea where the Champion went after Meredith died?"

"I haven't the faintest clue, we weren't exactly friends" Cullen stated.

"I see" Cassandra replied, clearly she hoped that Cullen knew but knew how unlikely it was.

"If you don't mind I…" Cullen began.

"We could use your help Ser Cullen" Cassandra interrupted.

"My help?!" Cullen asked in disbelief.

"You showed mercy to the Mages when Meredith ordered you to slaughter them all" Cassandra explained "you stood up to Meredith once her madness became apparent…"

"_I should have stood up to her sooner…if…if I had…"_ Cullen thought as the faces of Ruvena, Hugh, and Paxley flashed through his mind _"…they might still be alive…at least…"_

"…and you fought alongside the Champion and you were able to restore order shortly after the battle" Cassandra continued "you are also unique in that you have at least some credibility not only with the Chantry but the Mages as well."

"Well good for me" Cullen chuckled darkly "but frankly I think I'm just about through with the Order, what's left of it that is."

"That works fine for us" Cassandra stated confusing Cullen as she locked gazes with the Templar, her eyes had nothing on Amell and Hawke's but they were piercing "you are well aware that the world is in chaos, the Mages and Templars are in all-out war and both sides are committing atrocities every day" she took a step towards him "you are a skilled warrior, a seasoned leader, combine that with your ties to both the Warden and the Champion you could play a valuable role."

"In what exactly?" Cullen asked.

"In bringing this madness to an end" Cassandra answered bluntly "it's your choice of course…" she turned and began to walk away from Cullen "…you can help us restore order, or you can act like a selfish coward and slit your own throat, the choice is yours…" Cullen froze as she began to climb the stairs and finished with "…I'll be in the city until tomorrow morning if you change your mind."

*Present Day*

"_And here I am once again"_ Cullen thought in disbelief as the room quickly approached anarchy, he feared it was only a matter of seconds before weapons were drawn.

"ENOUGH!" a loud voice commanded followed by a loud thud.

Every mouth was instantly silenced as every head towards the long table and the figure standing in the middle, a knife in his right hand which he stabbed into the map. The figure was a young human man with a sun beaten complexion from spending day after day in the glaring sun. His dark brown hair was long and messy due to how long he had been forced to spend away from civilization. The staff resting on his back marked him as a Mage as did the long thin scar on the left side of his neck from when a Templar nearly took his head.

Like Amell and Hawke before him, the most striking feature of his were his eyes. Unlike the previous two Mages, his were dark grey but they were just as piercing at the moment. Apparently his eyes had always carried this quality since birth prompting his father to name him Falke after the small but undeniably fierce bird of prey. Born as the youngest child of the noble Trevelyan family, he was ironically expected at birth to commit his life to the Chantry and the Templar Order, but the wakening of his magic dashed those plans into dust.

As a child Falke was dragged to the Circle of Ostwick the same city where his family hailed from, though they never even attempted to visit him. Though he lost one family, he had gained another in the Mages of the Circle. His talents caught the eyes of every Mage in the Circle including the First Enchanter herself though it was far from an ideal life.

According to him, the abuses of the Templars at Ostwick was only slightly less severe than in Kirkwall. Although they shied away from deadly force and abusing the right of tranquility, the Templars were a constant and real force of oppression against the Mages. When the Mage Templar War reached critical mass, the Knight Commander of Ostwick invoked the right of annulment and attempted to slay every Mage in the Circle. Falke rallied as many Mages as he could and lead the escape, but not without crushing the Knight Commander's head like an over-ripened grapefruit.

For three years he fought in the Mage Rebellion, many Templars died by his hand, those who survived an encounter with him spoke of him as if he were a demon in human form. Cullen wondered if his family had ever heard the stories and could appreciate the irony that their son had become a source of nightmares for the Templars he was originally meant to join. The first time Cullen met the man was in Haven, Falke was part of the delegation of Mages who sought to bring an end to the war and restore some semblance of order to the world. Even then Cullen could tell that he would die before returning to the Chantry's control, but at the same time he did seem to genuinely wish for peace.

Unfortunately everything fell apart. A massive explosion of unknown origins destroyed the village of Haven, the mountain it was nestled under, and even the temple which housed the Urn of Sacred Ashes itself. Thousands died turned into nightmarish husks which reminded the former Templar of what became of Meredith, but somehow he survived and now his left hand had been marked with a strange power they had yet to understand. The fact that the explosion literally tore open the veil and began pouring demons into Thedas didn't give anyone much of a chance to inquire.

"You have some nerve" Cassandra stated calmly but was held back by Josephine.

"Cassandra is right that if we don't stop the breach, the world is doomed" Falke stated firmly as he looked upon the gathered men and women "this isn't about humans and elves, dwarves and Qunari" he leaned forward "if we don't close the breach the demons will exterminate us all" he turned his gaze towards the bald elf "Solas, you say this is connected to the breach, is there anyway we can use it stop it?"

"At the moment I'd have to say no" Solas answered as Falke's left hand glowed a bright green color "though I believe we can at least slow its growth, maybe even halt it temporarily" he raised his right hand to his chin "to close the breach, we will need far more power than what's available to us."

"In that case there is only one path forward for us" Falke replied "first we must head for the breach and use this mark to halt its growth in order to buy us time, once that's done we need to gain additional allies in order to come up with a permanent solution."

"And who do you propose to lead such a daring venture?" Cullen asked politely yet curiously "you perhaps?"

Without breaking his gaze, a single blink, or any other signs of hesitation Falke pulled his knife free from the table by the blade offered the handle to Cullen surprising the Templar.

"If anyone here has a better idea or believes that they should be in charge then step forward" Falke commanded as he slowly waved his arm horizontally offering the knife to any who would challenge him "but mark my word, if we don't act it will swallow the world!"

"And what if you're wrong?" Cassandra asked curiously "what if your mark doesn't have the power to stop the breach?"

"Then by this time tomorrow we will all most likely be dead" Falke answered bluntly "but the truth is we already live with that risk; though our roles and allegiances have varied one cold fact remains, this is a war, and we are soldiers."

"_He doesn't mince words, I'll give him that"_ Cullen thought as Falke laid his knife on the table.

"Instead we should each ask ourselves…" Falke continued "…what if tomorrow the breach's growth could be slowed or even stopped temporally to give this world time? What if one, five, ten years from now the war could be over and the breached closed completely? Isn't that worth fighting for? Isn't that worth dying for?"

The room was silent for several moments before a soft clap drew all attention to Varric "you make a good point kiddo" he grinned before turning to the rest of the group "I say we follow him, he seems smart enough to figure this mess out and crazy enough to actually pull it off" he pulled Bianca from his back and started loading bolts before finishing with "we can always kill each other after it stops raining demons."

"If we're to pull this off, we'll need a plan" Cassandra stated as she stepped towards the table.

"Luckily our forces weren't completely wiped out in the explosion but our numbers have dwindled" Cullen explained as he unfolded a map of the area surrounding the breach "we'll need to take every advantage we can find if we're to succeed."

"Agreed" Falke said calmly as he turned his gaze towards the map as they started to plan their next move.

"_Ten years ago I saw the worst depravity Mages are capable of, I thought then that I understood the world far better than most, I was certain that the way of the Templars was just"_ Cullen thought as they made decisions regarding troop allocations _"Three years ago that belief was shattered in Kirkwall and I failed to do anything to prevent a blood bath which resulted in a world war while one of the very Mages I distrusted risked his life to try and prevent it"_ the image of Hawke's eyes as he stared Cullen down on that fateful night flashed through his mind as Leliana shared what her spies had told her regarding the enemy's forces _"this time I will see for myself what justice truly looks like"_ he resolved as they decided who would follow Falke into the Fade.

"So we are in agreement" Falke stated calmly to the rather large gathering as he looked up from the table "whatever we were before, we are now **the Inquisition**!"

**Author's Notes:** Hope you all liked this little one shot, just to make sure everyone understands the Human Mage's name from Origins Amell means "power of the eagle" in German, the name Hawke I think is self-explanatory, and the Inquisitor's first name Falke is German for falcon hence the title "Birds of Prey."

I don't know about the rest of you but I can't wait for Inquisition.

In the meantime please leave a review


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